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AfterDawn: News

Apple delays iPad 3G launch until May 7th

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Apr 2010 2:54

Apple delays iPad 3G launch until May 7th According to the official company site, the iPad 3G model will begin shipping "by" May 7th, a slight delay from the formerly promised "end of April" launch.

All three versions, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB will be available.

The Wi-Fi-only "cheap" versions of the tablet remain on sale, with a minimum price of $499. Apple says over 600,000 units have already been sold.

Thanks to such strong demand, Apple had to delay the international launch of the iPad, pushing the launch to late May.

The new Wi-Fi + 3G models retail for $629 at minimum and $829 for the higher capacity model.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Gizmodo reveals upcoming iPhone model

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Apr 2010 2:29

Gizmodo reveals upcoming iPhone model Gizmodo has broken what promises to be the most popular story of the next few weeks today, revealing what they believe to be a prototype of Apple's upcoming "iPhone HD," the fourth generation model of the extremely popular smartphone.

The report says the phone was found on the floor in a bar in Redwood City, with a case that camouflaged it to look like a current generation iPhone 3GS.

The hardware, as well as the form factor is very different than the last three models of the phone, and I will post a few of the pictures of the hardware after the article.

New to the "iPhone HD," are a front-facing camera for video conferencing, a better standard camera (including larger lens and flash), a Micro-SIM slot (just like the iPad), 960x640 resolution, a second mic, metallic exterior (not plastic) and split side buttons for volume.

The form factor is very different as well. The back is flat and not rounded, slightly smaller screen, a more "square" design all around with less wasted space, a larger battery, and smaller internal components.

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AfterDawn: News

Osama Bin Laden Facebook fan page shut down

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Apr 2010 12:59

Osama Bin Laden Facebook fan page shut down A Facebook fan page for Osama Bin Laden has been shut down today, after 1000 "fans" signed up to watch posts linking to speeches and recordings of the Islamic extremist.

The page went up in late March, and refers to bin Laden as the "Prince of Mujahideen."

Although it is unclear who started the page, Facebook says they doubt there is any direct link, and the page was likely put up by supporters in the Middle East.

Adds the social networking site: "People often attempt to register fake accounts under the name of famous or infamous people. There is no evidence to suggest that the account in question or the other dozens of people who have tried to present themselves as Osama bin Laden have any relation to the terrorist. As is our standard practice, we have disabled the account."

Spokesman Andrew Noyes says the company has access to the IP addresses and email addresses used by a profile or a group.

"These pages do pop up,"
Noyes adds, via ABC. "Sometimes they are able to slip through the cracks, but we do end up taking them down."




AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: HTC Incredible in action

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Apr 2010 12:42

Video Daily: HTC Incredible in action Earlier this week, Verizon finally launched the much-hyped HTC Incredible, an Android smartphone that will become the company's new "flagship" model.

The phone has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 8MP camera with dual-LED flashes, Android 2.1 built-in and the latest HTC Sense UI.

Additionally, the phone has a 3.7-inch multi-touch 800x480 screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and is seen as the sequel to the popular Desire smartphone.

The Incredible will go on sale on April 29th, with pre-orders starting on the 19th.

The smartphone will sell for $200 with contract, the same price as the Droid initially cost when it launched last November.

Today, BGR has posted a video walk through of the phone, and it looks very good:

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Adobe Flash for Android, WebOS delayed again

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Apr 2010 12:27

Adobe Flash for Android, WebOS delayed again Last year, Adobe confidently proclaimed that it would bring a Flash Player for the smartphone operating systems Android and WebOS, saying they would have the launch ready for the Q2 of 2010.

Today, the company has said the player is not ready and will not be available until the "second half" of the year, putting a damper on the hopes of many Android and WebOS owners.

The player, Flash 10.1, will likely not be available until at least September says CEO Shantanu Narayen, adding that a BlackBerry version will also be made available at the same time.

The full player, which is available for Windows and Mac machines, will support all Flash video, as well as sites that use Flash for navigation or have Flash splash screens.

Adobe says the software will take advantage of the differing capabilities of the phone it is being run on, including multi-touch support and hardware acceleration.




AfterDawn: News

Palm's software chief to leave company next week

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 4:06

Palm's software chief to leave company next week Palm, the struggling smartphone maker that has put itself up for sale in a last-ditch effort to avoid possible imminent bankruptcy, has taken another hit today reporting that Michael Abbott, their software and services chief will leave the company at the end of next week.

Abbott resigned on Monday and will leave on April 23rd, reads the SEC filing.

The chief was a lead proponent of the WebOS operating system.

In the same regulatory filing, Palm said it was paying two key executives a $250,000 bonus to stay on board. Each will also receive restricted stock. Both perks pay out over two years, given the company is still alive and the execs are still working for Palm.

Over the past few days, since Palm confirmed it was up for sale, a plethora of big names of been noted as possible buyers including rivals RIM, Lenovo and Dell, each of which have smartphones in the market. The latest in the list is Huawei of China.




AfterDawn: News

Israel explains iPad ban

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 3:39

Israel explains iPad ban On Thursday we reported that the Israeli newspaper Haaretz had reported that the Apple iPad has been blocked from entering Israel, with customs officials confiscating all devices upon entry.

Today, the Israeli Ministry of Communications has elaborated on their reasoning behind the ban.

Says spokesperson Yechiel Shavi: "This device's wireless strengths violate Israeli law and will overpower other wireless devices in Israel."

Shavi added that if Apple releases a new version that complies with EU Wi-Fi standards, the ban will be overturned. Apple, in rebuttal says: "The iPad complies with international industry standards for Wi-Fi specifications."

The ban makes little sense to anyone outside of Israel. Apple uses a standard Wi-Fi chip that is industry-wide. From a technical standpoint, the ban doesn't make sense, says Richard Doherty, an analyst with the technology consulting firm Envisioneering Group, via the WSJ.

We will certainly keep you updated on any development, as this story keeps getting stranger and stranger.




AfterDawn: News

Dell Aero, Mini 5 devices to launch for AT&T in June?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 3:17

Dell Aero, Mini 5 devices to launch for AT&T in June? According to new reports, AT&T will launch the Aero smartphone and the Mini 5 tablet in June.

Both will run some iterations of the Android operating system but that is where the comparisons end.

The Aero, Dell's first American smartphone since the death of their Axim line in 2007, features a 3.5" nHD display with 360x640resolution, a 5MP camera, Flash Lite for better Internet video support and full GPS.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

141,000 DSi XL units sold in U.S.

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 2:36

141,000 DSi XL units sold in U.S. The new, larger iteration of the DS handheld series, the DSi XL had a strong debut month in March says video game analyst Michael Pachter.

Although it was only available for four days in March, Nintendo still sold 141,000 units, with the full line (DS Lite, DSi and the XL) selling 701,000 units for the month.

If accurate, the number is very high considering the XL sells for $190, a premium price from the DS Lite (MSRP $130) and DSi (MSRP $170).

The screen of the XL is 93 percent bigger than the DSi, and Nintendo has said it is aimed at users that want to use the Internet more, making the text easier to read.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Verizon launches HTC Incredible Android device

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 2:07

Verizon launches HTC Incredible Android device Verizon has finally launched the much-hyped HTC Incredible, an Android smartphone dubbed as the latest in a long line of "iPhone killers."

The phone has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 8MP camera with dual-LED flashes, Android 2.1 built-in and the latest HTC Sense UI.

Additionally, the phone has a 3.7-inch multi-touch 800x480 screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and is seen as the sequel to the popular Desire smartphone.

The Incredible will go on sale on April 29th, with pre-orders starting on the 19th.

The smartphone will sell for $200 with contract, the same price as the Droid initially cost when it launched last November.




AfterDawn: News

iPhone launch confirmed for June?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 1:30

iPhone launch confirmed for June? For the third year in a row, BGR is reporting that they have confirmed with AT&T insider sources that employee vacations have been blocked in June, almost confirming that a new iPhone launch is imminent this summer, in either June or early July.

This fourth generation iPhone has been a device of rumor for some time now, with most claiming it will be called the iPhone HD.

In March, the WSJ reported that a new iPhone was coming this summer, but they offered very few details other than saying it would be thinner and include a more powerful processor.

DaringFireball, as reported here, added some more fuel to the fire, saying that the iPhone HD will include an A4-family CPU system-on-a-chip, a 960 × 640 double-resolution display, a front facing camera in addition to the standard camera, as well as iPhone OS 4.0 built-in, with multitasking.

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AfterDawn: News

Popbox SDK released, still no launch

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 1:09

Popbox SDK released, still no launch The much-anticipated Popbox launch is on its way, says parent company Syabas, but for the time being the company has released the popbox SDK 1.0, allowing developers to create Flash applications that use the popbox API.

When launched, the new interface includes "infopops" which show off the weather, Twitter feeds, and other data. The interface also includes a cover-flow-esque visual thumbnails selection for videos, music and other data, as well as universal search.

More notably, the interface can handle Flash, Java and QT meaning Netflix is now available. Also available is Hulu, CBS and ABC content, which can now include the in-video ads required for playback. Facebook, Twitter, Shoutcast MP3, Revision3 and other Popcorn Hour content will rollover to the new box.

For video, full 1080p at 100Mbps is now supported, along with the standard MPEG formats, H.264, VC-1, WMV, MKV, XviD and other containers. The player can also support most subtitle files, including Microsoft's proprietary one. For streaming, the Popbox can recognize iTunes via Bonjour, and DLNA and UPnP sources.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Nook 'Lite' and Nook 2 e-readers coming soon

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 3:15

Nook 'Lite' and Nook 2 e-readers coming soon Gizmodo has posted today that a "tipster" has sent them credible information that Barnes & Noble will be releasing two new e-reader devices this year, a Nook 'Lite' and the Nook 2.

Additionally, the book company is releasing an firmware update for the original Nook that will add a full browser.

The Nook Lite will have Wi-Fi only, stripping the "free" 3G support. It is unclear what will be new in the Nook 2.

The Lite will sell for $199, making the device the cheapest of the major e-readers, and significantly cheaper than the $499 "cheap" model of the iPad.

The firmware update, v1.4, should be available next week for download.

The original Nook will begin selling in all Best Buy locations starting tomorrow, the first time the device is available outside of B&N.




AfterDawn: News

Sony cancels development of 'PlayStation Room' on PSP

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 2:46

Sony cancels development of 'PlayStation Room' on PSP Sony Japan has canceled all plans and development for their previously announced PlayStation Room PSP service, the virtual world social network that would have been like the handheld version of the PlayStation Home world currently popular on the PS3.

The company announced the new move on their Japanese language site, saying that following a beta testing period, they have decided to cancel development.

They did not give any particular reason for the cancellation, but poor user feedback may be to blame.

Beta testers of the service owned and customized their own virtual rooms, including 3D avatars, says GI.biz. You could then invite other users to chat rooms, as well as share images.

PlayStation Room would have been free, with some content (like dressing the avatar, and furnishing the room) costing some money.




AfterDawn: News

XPERIA X10 will receive Android 2.1 update in September

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2010 2:32

XPERIA X10 will receive Android 2.1 update in September According to multiple reports, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 smartphone will finally get the Android 2.1 update this year, however, users will have to wait until September to get it.

Coming with 2.1 will be multi-touch support, which has been one of the X10's biggest criticisms.

Mobile.co.uk says the phone will launch with Android 1.6.

The X10, which will launch this month, features a 4-inch touch screen with 480x854 resolution, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 processor, UMTS HSPA 800/1900/2100 and GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, 8.1MP camera with 16x zoom, image stabilization and flash and an included 8GB memory card. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and 3G are standard as well.








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